SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – I just got back from a brief interview with Ubaldo Jimenez, after the Cleveland Indians media relations department finally allowed the session.

Although it appeared that Jimenez clearly intended to throw at the Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning, and then appeared to challenge Tulo to a fight on the field, Jimenez said that was not the case.

“As you can see, in the first inning I didn’t have control of my fastball,” Jimenez said. “As you can see, I walked the first guy on four pitches. (Tulowitzki) is one of the best hitters in the game. I tried to get inside on him and that’s what I tried to do. It was one pitch that got away, that happens in a thousand games.”

The pitch hit Tulo in the left elbow and Tulo was taken to a local hospital for X-rays.

Jimenez, the former Rockies ace, blamed Tulo for the confrontation that cleared both benches.

“I was surprised, because I never had any problems with him that I know about,” Jimenez said. “He was calling me things.”

Asked again if he intentionally tried to drill Tulo, Jimenez said: “No. no, no. I was trying to go inside on him. That is probably the weakest point that he has. The ball just got away. The thing that got started was the things that he was calling me. I mean, I’m a man. If somebody calls me out, I have to go. He was callng me names. He was calling me “chicken,” but not chicken, another really aggressive word that I can’t say right now. … I take everything easy and I never look for trouble, but it you are calling me out I am a man like everybody else.”

Asked what he would feel if Tulo is seriously hurt, Jimenez said: “Of course I am going to be sorry because I mean he is one of the superstar players in the game. As a player you love to see him play in the game. And you don’t want to be in the postion that you are going to take the guy out of the game. He was my ex-teammate, I don’t want to hurt him at at all. It’s just one pitch that got away. It could happen to anybody.”

Reminded that he and Tulo had engaged in a war of words through the media, Jimenez said: “I never talked about anyone. The only thing I talked about was how the team treated me. I never mentioned anybody or any names.”